Red Sky Saga
by wolverinacullen
Summary: Two short stories modernizing James and Victoria's backstories. Stephanie Meyer version. If you haven't read the guide-be warned; there be spoilers.
1. Victoria

**Red Sky At Night**

I had a pretty good life, or at least, it was peaceful for a while. When I was twelve, my dad went off to fight in Afghanistan, and then when I was thirteen, he was killed. I was in high school when it happened.

I sat alone at a table next to a bunch of jocks. They were nice enough, and if trouble ever brewed, they could protect me. That day, my mother had dropped off my sister Anne and I at school before heading to work at the bank. She was a nurse too, she worked night shifts. She made money, that was what mattered. I was done with lunch and staring out the window. The bird quietly observed the world while I quietly observed her. She was duller in shade, so I assumed she was a female, though there was nothing dull about my coloring. I had fire orange hair and catlike green eyes.

My sister came rushing out of the crowd to get me. She looked terrified.

"Anne? What happened?"

She wordlessly pulled me out of the chair, "We have to go. Now. Come on, hurry."

I grabbed my bag and we headed out the door from the music department-closest to the lunch room. She lead me down into the parking lot and turned, "They just called me down to the office. Mom...was in an accident. She died Vicky. They called the cops, that's why...we need to go. Mom has been making me promise since I was nine that I'd take care of you if anything happened...so I'm keeping that promise. We need to go."

Anne's boyfriend Alex pulled up in his Jeep, signaling to us that not only were the honor roll students cutting class, but he was helping us get away too.

We piled in, and soon, we were at our house. "Take what you need, leave the rest behind" Anne instructed.

I ran to my room. I grabbed my favorite things-the things I couldn't live without. Mom and Dad's first day of school portrait with me and Anne, the bear Dad bought the day I was born. My collection of CDs, my favorite book, and my favorite clothes. I looked around my room once I piled my stuff in. My cell phone charger landed on top, then I went into Mom's room. Her laptop and charger rested on the top of the bag, with my charger. This was it. I had to say goodbye to my life, all because my sister was seventeen and I was fifteen, and they wouldn't let us live alone. So we ran, and we were on a flight to Mexico before the hour was up.

That was the day my life changed. My sister worked in Tijuana as a prostitute-nobody asked her age, and nobody cared. I stayed away from it all, in abandoned houses, moving from place to place as quickly as I could. I stayed alive. I had food and shelter, that was it.

When Anne never returned, I was heartbroken. I tried to find her, but what could I do? I was stealthy, but I wasn't perfect. I didn't pawn what meant this much to me. I knew I'd rather starve, so I did.

It was January when she found me. My blood was used to the weather, and since I crossed over into the US again, and the search had been given up, I made my way to Tennessee, and that was as far as I could go on the little money I had. I was dying in an alley, shivering and starved. I thought I was dead when Anne returned, and I thought I was in hell when she turned me, but...life was good again. Peaceful.

I stayed at the edge of the coven while Anne was at their heart. They had all been desperate women once, and now they were fine. It was Noela that got them killed when the Volturi came.

I fled without them knowing my existence.

James found me much like Anne had-desperately trying to hunt and to no avail. I was barely sustaining myself off of small animals. I was in Canada, and he was a threat...but I didn't care. I looked at him the moment he found me, and I begged for his help.

His demeanor softened, and he held out his hand. He'd been following me for years, and slowly, our bond grew and his threatening demeanor disipated.

"What brings you out here?" he asked as I wiped my lips on my sleeve. He reached out, wiping the end of the trail of blood from my neck.

"I lost my sister. She was...like us" I said quietly.

"I'm sorry" he said.

"Thank you. I'll let you get back on your way." I moved away, grabbing my things-and his hand closed over mine.

"You can't even hunt. Do you really expect me to be so irresponsible as to let an untrained newborn go off on her own and starve?"

I scoffed, "I'll manage."

"By crawling through sewers and eating rats? That's too Louie for you."

I turned back to him, "Interview With The Vampire."

"Tom Cruise sucks" he said, "and not in our good way." He crossed his arms over his well built chest and almost scowled, but there was too much amusement to be seen in his face to consider him angry. "You have to come with me."

"Give me three reasons why I should care." I mimicked him, crossing my arms over my chest and glaring at him.

"You're untrained, nobody has a gift quite like yours, and you're beautiful."

He was gorgeous, self-assured, confident, and honest in his intentions and his feelings. He lied to our prey, but I knew...he never lied to me. We fell in love quickly after that.

This is not a long story, but it will be. My name is Victoria Sutherland, I'm seventeen years old, but I'm forever frozen at sixteen. My life has come full circle.

Last night, James and I arrived back here in Seattle, my London-esque home. I took a shower, and washed my clothes, and I sat down to use my technology for the first time in months.

My skin sparkled in the slight glow of the predawn light, and James's arms wrapped around me.

"You technically own this place, you know. You can show up and make things work" he said quietly in my ear.

"You'd give all this up for me?" I asked quietly.

"If you wanted me to. If you wanted me to pretend I was Superman, I would." His fingers lightly stroked through my hair and I sighed.

"I miss her. I wish Anne had the chance to meet you. I wish she'd gotten to know you like I have. She would've loved you."

"Well I'm glad, because I love you." His lips, very lightly, pressed to my cheek.

I turned and kissed the corner of his lips, "I love you too James...welcome home."

_Fin_


	2. James

**Red Sky In Mourning**

I suppose my reason for being this way was because I never knew my parents. Well, I knew them, but only briefly. My father was in jail when I was born, and when I was three, in went mommy. She got out when I was seven, and dad when I was nine, and they both went back in when I was ten. Bounced around from foster home to foster home, I had my fair share of horror stories.

The single mother who used me for sex when I was twelve.

The Columbian couple who taught me to drive-and transport drugs at fifteen.

and last but not least, the rat who incarcerated my parents took me in when I was sixteen-and a week later, I killed him.

I was on the run when Angelo found me. Angelo was my creator. I was strong; I was a born hunter. That was what my old man did. He hunted anybody who wronged him. Angelo wanted a late night bite, and I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. When I woke up from that little hell, I killed him too, and escaped the bar before it burned down. Everybody assumed I was dead.

Not for long. I hunted, oh god did I hunt. I indulged every whim I had, every scent I wanted, every game I played. But I felt hollow. Nothing meant anything to me anymore. I had no family, I had no life, I had the hunt and nothing more...until _her_.

She had run from me for years, and I barely caught glimpses of her, but when I did...I wanted more. I quickly knew I wanted to be around her; she was just like me, and she was alone like me. After a while, the craving for companionship overpowered the rest. She stopped running.

When I found her, she was laying on the ground, looking at the sky, her eyes dark as coals. She'd be crying if she could, I knew.

"I'm so hungry" she whispered, so I could barely hear her, "it hurts so bad. I...just can't bring myself to find it."

I offered her my hand, "It's okay. Come on." She continued to lay there.

I lifted her up in my arms, cradling her, looking into her eyes, "Can you see?"

She nodded. "It hurts. I can't think about anything else."

"Come on" I said, "Can you walk?"

She nodded and followed closely behind. I brought down a mountian lion-disgusting as far as blood went, but it was something for her. From that instant, she was in hunting mode. She brought down a whole troupe of campers before I could control her. I watched in awe as she attacked; more swift and terrible than a force of nature.

Those beautiful crimson eyes turned on me, and hell I was gone. Could I control myself long enough to keep her happy? I already knew there was no way in hell. The attraction was too strong. She was vibrant and strong, but she was too careful. I wanted this caged phoenix to be free to burn me and claw me and leave her mark on me. Her lips tasted as sweet as her skin. Her bite had the strength of hell's flames. No matter what, I was utterly and completely under her spell from day one.

Anything she asked, I obliged to. Anything she desired, I gave to her. Everything she wanted was hers.

She knew I was a simple man, but if she wanted the most elaborate thing, I'd get it for her. She became the world, and I was simply the moon. I was helpless to stop my attraction to her.

When we returned to her home in Seattle, I just...knew. You know that moment when you do? Well that was it. I'd been sure all along, but this was like the heavens just opened up and kicked me in the ass and said 'hey dumbass, this is your moment. Make her happy.'

Her skin sparkled in the slight glow of the predawn light, and my arms wrapped around her delicate waist.

"You technically own this place, you know. You can show up and make things work" I murmured in my ear.

"You'd give all this up for me?" She actually seemed surprised.

"If you wanted me to. If you wanted me to pretend I was Superman, I would." I stroked her hair reassuringly.

"I miss her. I wish Anne had the chance to meet you. I wish she'd gotten to know you like I have. She would've loved you." Her voice was so soft and wistful...

"Well I'm glad, because I love you." As light as a feather, I kissed her cheek.

She turned and barely kissed me, "I love you too James...welcome home."

Home was a word I never knew, but listening to Vicky say it...I really, genuinely believed it.

_Fin_


End file.
